I am a wife, mother, believer, photographer, artist and chicken raiser. Do you need some eggs? I've got browns and blues and greens that are beautiful to behold and produced by a couple dozen free-range hens running around my overgrown yard. Yeah, I've got a hint of that hippie homemaker in my bones!

Come to my old, somewhat run-down, always-in-need-of-maintenance farmhouse south of Bozeman MT, and you will be warmly welcomed by a big yellow lab named Tank and the offer of a cup of coffee from my husband Andy. Helpful hint: accept the offer! Andy has a history as a master coffee roaster who knows what he's doing with the bean. I definitely married up!

My path to professional photography includes stops along the way as social worker, attorney, stay-at-home mom (what a gift!), non-profit fundraiser, and all around support person for my husband's self-employment endeavors. So, now you know I've got some life experience (that is the preferred way of implying I might be middle aged).

How I became a photographer:

I've kept a camera with me most of the last 30 years, enjoying the process of preserving memories and documenting beauty. Being somewhat competitive with myself (and sometimes with others) I participated in a constant quest to educate myself and improve my photos. Through the film years and into the digital age, I worked to create photos that impress.

Then, one year it became obvious that my son was quite independent - ice climbing and snow boarding without me, and signing up for driver's education were some good hints that my roll as mother was changing quickly. At the same time my husband's career path took a dramatic positive change and suddenly I did not need to be at his office full time. The two loves of my life still needed me, just not in as time consuming of a way.

It didn't take much to convince me to seize the opportunity to take my passion for beauty seen through the camera lens to the wedding halls and family gatherings of Montana and beyond. Years of honing photography skills for the sake of making something beautiful paid off for both my clients and me.

I've got a style you should know about:

My photography is best described as documentary with a healthy dose of lifestyle. In other words, I like to catch what is there naturally and augment as necessary to emphasis the message of what my subjects are all about. I love to capture those little in between moments that reflect the beauty of relationships. I believe juxtaposition is a wonderful tool to help photography communicate the complicated dynamics of people and places.

Where possible I use natural light and real life environments. I believe most people want to be known, and good photography can facilitate that process. As a pragmatist, I am wiling to whip out a flash or two as necessary to showcase the essence of who my clients are.

My editing is done in-house, with an emphasis on a simple and clean reflection of reality. While most of my photographs are in color, I love a good strong black and white photo and look for opportunities to create those from what I see in the view finder to the digital darkroom. I believe a healthy mix of color and black and white photos will round out your collection and tell your story in the most expressive way possible.